1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for handling cards, especially plastic cards, the plastic cards having a memory element from which data may be read out in a contactless manner via a transponder. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for handling such plastic cards which are mounted on card carriers associated with the respective plastic cards.
2. Description of Prior Art
In general, with prior art systems, plastic cards, such as thick plastic cards of the CR-80 type, may be automatically joined with (applied to) card carriers in a variable number of items. At an enveloping station, the card carriers provided with plastic cards are then packed in envelopes and are deposited in a shingled manner or are supplied to further processing, such as sorting or insertion into a letterbox system.
The prior art has known various methods and apparatus for applying plastic cards onto card carriers. From DE 195 08 282 C1 and from DE 195 33 444 A1, methods and apparatus are known for bringing together and joining plastic cards and card carriers using a print job number. Also according to the above documents, after the bringing together and joining, the card carriers are inserted into envelopes and subject to further processing. From DE 197 25 579 A1, a similar method is known, wherein the bringing together and joining of the plastic card and the card carrier is verified using a check sum. From DE 197 34 483 A1, a method and an apparatus for bringing together and joining plastic cards and card carriers using a print job number are known, the processing being effected off-line. The above-mentioned prior-art methods include joining card carriers and plastic cards, the plastic cards having a magnetic strip which may be read by a reader which establishes a contact between the plastic cards and the reader.
A disadvantage of the methods just described is that once the plastic card and the card carrier have been brought together and joined (applied), they are enveloped, i.e. the card carrier is enveloped, if need be after folding. Once the card carrier has been placed in the envelope, it is arranged therein such that the plastic card applied thereon is no longer visible from outside, so that after the card carrier has been enveloped, no more control may be performed as to whether or not the closed envelope contains a plastic card.
In addition, the prior art has known methods and apparatus, wherein objects are provided with a bar code detected with an optical reader while the objects are handled. By way of example, reference shall be made to DE 40 11 994 A1, DE 196 16 130 A1 and DE 196 20 697 A1. In this known method, a bar code is applied to an outer surface of an object in each case, so that same may be read by an optical reading device. Alternatively, the bar code is applied such that it is located within an envelope and may be read out through a window in the envelope.
The problems associated with the above-mentioned methods and apparatus for bringing together and joining plastic cards cannot be solved by these approaches, since after the plastic card has been enveloped, it is arranged in the envelope such that it is not visible from outside.
The above-described methods and apparatus further have the disadvantage that it is not possible to track the plastic card in the handling system. Even though an operator knows how many cards and which cards have been introduced into the system, but at the end/output of the system, a verification as to whether all plastic cards that have been introduced into the system have actually been removed from it may only be effected at high expense, if at all. During the operation, an operator is dependent on the reliability of the system used, since the operator has no possibility of tracking the plastic cards when they are processed in the system. This situation is disadvantageous, in particular when processing plastic cards which are sensitive in terms of security, e.g. credit cards etc., and enables an operator to meet the necessary security requirements only at high expense.